Come Back Home

Dara

We landed in Hawaii three days ago.
Enjoying the beach, cookouts, anything Hawaii has to offer.

I sat there with Chi-Won to my side as we watched the children make sand castles.

Not long after my son started to toss sand at his sisters sand castle. She began to cry "hey, we are not going to do that now," I demanded.

He looked at me "but, it's a castle war."
I shook my head at him, but before I could speak my phone went off again.

It was the number I wasn't familiar with, "what is it?" Chi-Won asked. I looked at him "it's not work, I have all their numbers.. I think, I'm not sure," I said before answering it.

I got up and walked out of hearing distance. "Hello?" I hear a mans voice on the other end.

"Hello, is this Sandara Park?" "Yes it is, can I help you with something?"

"Well, this is Dr. Dong-Suk, I was just calling to give you your results from the test we took a couple of weeks ago, would you like to speak in person or over the phone?"

"Well doctor, I'm on vacation right now, so it will have to be over the phone, if you don't mind."

I heard him flipping papers before he answered "I would rather speak of this in person, but over the phone will have to do, now I'm going to be blunt, the test showed signs of breast cancer."

My heart started pounding at the mention of cancer, "wh- what?"

He hesitated before he began "The stage is," he hesitated "at stage 4"

A lump grew into my throat "Stage 4, really?" I managed to ask.

"Unfortunately yes," he began softy "I would like to do more tests and start treatment as soon as possible."

I could feel my heart rate rising.  "Uh," I sniffled a bit "would you want me to come back to start treatment?" "That is ideal, yes."

"Ok, I'll talk to my husband and give you a call back," I said through the tears.

I hung up the phone and wiped the tears from my face. I slowly walked back to Chi-Won. "Mommy, what's wrong?"

My daughter asked, all I could do was shake my head before Chi-Won came and pulled me into an embrace.

"Do you want to speak in private?" He asked me and I nodded. "What is it?"

I started sobbing again "That was the doctor and he said..." Chi-Won stood there concerned about what I had to say next "he said... I have stage 4 breast cancer." I managed to muster out through my tears.

Chi-Won really didn't know what to say all he could do was hold me and cry with me.

"He said it's ideal that we go back so I can start my treatment," Chi-Won released me "but I don't want to ruin the family trip." I said looking up at him.

"Dara, you are not ruining the trip, your health comes first."

He brushed my hair out of my face, "come on, the sooner we get packed up, the sooner we can get out of here, ok?" I gave a head nod.

Chi-Won motioned the kids to come along. How am I going to tell them?